‘An essential tool for creativity’: technologies, spaces and discourse within pop music production

Within the pop music industries, the term ‘creativity’ is a popular descriptor of the processes associated with the production of music. Historically, a romantic or rational approach has often featured in discussions on creativity. Some scholars have suggested that a culturally informed understanding of creativity is more useful, while some have advocated that we abandon the term altogether. The purpose of this article is to emphasise how the term ‘creativity’ works as a part of a discourse that risks rendering some practices as creative while ignoring others. In the face of changing technologies, the cultural value associated with creativity – and its use to label technologies, spaces and practices – helps shape ideas about legitimacy and prestige.